Financial aid deadlines wait for no one but getting today’s Gen Z students to check their email or answer a phone call can feel like chasing a moving target. These students, considered digital natives who grew up with instant access to information, are skilled at filtering out what doesn’t immediately feel relevant to them. Unfortunately, that often includes our most important reminders about completing financial aid to-do list items.
If we want Gen Z to take timely action, we have to meet them on their turf—both online and on campus—and communicate in ways that are engaging, authentic, and easy to act on. That means thinking beyond mass emails and voicemail messages and instead adopting student-led, high-visibility strategies that are already embedded in their daily routines.
Why Traditional Communication Isn’t Enough for Gen Z
For most Gen Z students, email inboxes are flooded, phone calls from unknown numbers go unanswered, and printed flyers quickly become background noise. They are used to fast, visual, and interactive content that comes from trusted sources, and oftentimes those are their peers. In short: the financial aid message is only as effective as the platforms used, the avenues of communication, and even the messenger delivering it, so updating communication strategies to account for these can lead to critical engagement and communication success.
Student-Led Communication: The Peer Advantage
When important reminders come from a roommate, RA, student leader, or club officer, they often carry more weight than an official office blast. To that end, it is incredibly important to recruit and train financial aid ambassadors—students who can speak authentically about deadlines, required documents, or the FAFSA process in a way that resonates directly with students. Here, leveraging federal work-study positions to train students to have them share content on Instagram, TikTok, or in student-run Discord channels can lead to critical engagement while answering frequently asked questions.
These ambassadors can also help debunk myths, answer FAQs in real time, and normalize asking for help—all while promoting the urgency of completing tasks before deadlines hit.
Creative Campus Partnerships
Financial aid teams don’t have to go it alone. Partnering with other campus departments and student organizations can make your message more visible and approachable. Consider:
- Satellite Desk Office Hours: Bring a staff member to high-traffic areas like student centers, tutoring labs, or cultural resource centers. Students are far more likely to ask quick questions when you’re already in their space.
- Partnerships with Other Departments – Example: Theater Department Financial Aid Improv: At a recent NASFAA conference, one of the school officials who presented around successfully communicating with GenZ students shared an example of how they have worked with performing arts students to create short, humorous skits that highlight common financial aid pitfalls or deadlines and then perform these at campus events or share as snippets on social media. Having prepared talking points and clear and accurate talking points to share can ensure that students receive the right information, even in a more informal way.
- Collaborations with Campus “Influencers:” Partner with student athletes, orientation leaders, or club presidents who already have a following. Have them create short, authentic posts that tie their campus life to financial aid reminders.
Making it Easy to Act in Real Time
Gen Z responds best when the next step is immediate and clear. Use QR codes at events that link directly to their to-do list. Set up laptops or tablets during tabling sessions so students can submit forms on the spot. Add short, interactive polls to your Instagram stories to prompt students to check their status.
Putting it all together:
Today’s Gen Z students expect communication to be part of their daily flow, not a separate task they have to remember to check. By showing up in their spaces, leveraging peer messengers, and forming creative campus partnerships, financial aid professionals can increase the likelihood that students complete their tasks on time. The result is not only higher completion rates, but also stronger student trust in the financial aid process. If you would like to discuss these, or other strategies rooted in best practices, to communicate effectively with your students, reach out to us at info@heag.us for further support.
